3178 12588 3 PB

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching
ISSN: 2537 - 1754

ISSN-L: 2537 - 1754
Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu
doi: 10.46827/ejfl.v5i1.3178 Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020
AN INVESTIGATION OF VIETNAMESE EFL TEENAGE

LEARNERS’ KNOWLEDGE OF COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS:
IMPLICATIONS FOR IDIOM INSTRUCTION
Vo Thi Diem My1i,

Nguyen Van Loi2
Aston English Center,
1
Can Tho Branch,

Vietnam
2School of Foreign Languages,
Can Tho University,

Vietnam
Abstract:
This article explores the EFL teenage learners’ knowledge of common English idioms in
a Vietnamese context. Seventy-six teenage students between 14 to 17 years old, including
33 males and 43 females participated in an idiom test. The test consisted of 50 idioms
selected from common English proficiency test books and the lists of common idioms by
Grant (2007) and Liu (2003). Descriptive statistics showed that the students had very
limited idiomatic knowledge. This finding uncovers the needs for idiom instruction.
Based on the literature, the current paper proposes an instructional direction for
improving their knowledge of idioms.
Keywords: English idioms, knowledge, EFL, teenage learners, idiom instruction
1. Introduction
Idioms constitute an important part in understanding the implicit meanings of writers or

speakers. In fact, natural use of idioms is how high-proficiency speakers communicate
outside of the classroom. The C1 band descriptors for CEFR listening skill describe that
“I can understand a wide range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms” (Council of Europe,
2012, p. 66). Similarly, according to the IELTS speaking band 7, candidates are expected
to be able to “use some less common and idiomatic vocabulary”, which is considered as
mastery of idiomatic expressions, a criterion of lexical resource (British Council, 2012,
p.1). In Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), especially in such books on
i Correspondence: email maria106784@gmail.com
Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.

© 2015 – 2020 Open Access Publishing Group 48
Vo Thi Diem My, Nguyen Van Loi
AN INVESTIGATION OF VIETNAMESE EFL TEENAGE LEARNERS’
KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH IDIOMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR IDIOM INSTRUCTION
training English proficiency (e.g., TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, among others), it is easy for
English learners to encounter a number of common English idioms.
Knowing fixed expressions is important because individuals who can use idioms
are regarded as more competent language users (Boers et al., 2006). The ability to use
idioms constitutes part of the communicative competence model by Celce-Murcia (2008).
Accordingly, knowledge of idioms may precede the ability to understand speech by
advanced speakers. However, in English as foreign language (EFL) settings, idioms may
seldom be used (Tran, 2012; Vasiljevic, 2011). Numerous teachers may neglect teaching
idioms in their language and teaching (Tran, 2012) probably due to its inherent complex
nature as well as their lack of interest in this area. English learners may, partly due to
inadequate training, encounter problems when responding to or using idioms.
Despite significant previous studies on approaches to idiom instruction and
learning (Cooper, 1999; Lennon, 1998; Levorato, Nesi, & Cacciari, 2004; Prodromou, 2003;
Zyzik, 2011), research on the knowledge of the EFL learners in Asia generally, and
Vietnam specifically, is limited. This study was conducted at a private language center in
the Mekong Delta, aiming to gauge EFL teenage learners’ knowledge of English idioms.
2. Literature Review
In order to obtain the scope of this study, in this section the insights about idioms are
reviewed, focusing on the complexity of idioms, types of idioms and factors influencing
learners’ acquisition of idioms.
2.1 The Complexity of Idioms

According to D’Angelo Bromley (1984), idioms are existent in all languages and “enjoy a
widespread use among speakers of every language the world over” (p. 272). Idioms employ
mental images for meaning expression. In the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary
English (2009, p.870) an idiom is defined as “a group of words which contains a special
meaning compared to the ordinary meaning of each separate word, for example, ‘under the
weather’ means being ‘ill”. Idioms are expressions, at least two lexis, but the meaning of an
idiom is not that of the combination of meanings from these lexical items (Barkema, 1996).
The meaning of idioms is thus very difficult to understand unless we use our cultural
knowledge for interpretation or know them before. In other words, idioms can be defined
as a type of multi-word units/ chunks, a kind of advanced vocabulary (Cooper, 1999).
According to Nippold and Taylor (2002), “idiom understanding begins in early
childhood and gradually improves throughout the school-age years, adolescence, and well into
adulthood” (p. 384). Idioms are an important part of language acquisition and proficiency.
Figurative expressions make a language more colorful and useful to polish the use of
language. D’Angelo Bromley (1984) stressed the role of idioms by saying “[j]ust as idioms
are disruptive, ambiguous, and difficult for the language user, so also are they interesting and
colorful. Idioms add humor, imagery, and spice to language” (p. 274). For example, in order to
bear in mind concepts people often use words and expressions that relate to our body,
European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 49

like “A still tongue keeps a wise head” means wise people do not talk much. The following
dialogue illustrates this pattern. Although the lexical items are not new, the sentence
structures are simple, we hardly understand fully the messages unless we know the
meaning of these idioms. Without them, in general, we sometimes do not understand
the texts or the utterances even though we know clearly every single word in the
sentences.
Raining a lot, heavily Means NO! Nobody wants a hole in the head
A. It’s raining cats and dogs. Do you miss me, honey?

B. Yes, like a hole in the head. Ok. How about your exam this morning?
A. Yep, gone with the wind.
Means not good, I failed
Kalyani (2014) stressed the complex nature of idioms regarding the structure or
form, meaning and use of idioms in context. This is also supported by Milton (2009)
regarding that types of idioms are considered as one of six variables influencing idiom
acquisition, so it is important to get to know about this.
2.2 Types and Use of Idioms

The literature reveals significant attempts to classify idioms. Fernando (1996) categorizes
idioms into three groups: pure idioms (e.g., kick the bucket, bread winner, spill the beans)
are conventionalized, non-literal multiword expressions, and considered to be opaque;
semi-literal idioms or ones that use something as a step stone, can have one or more literal
constituents and one with non-literal sub-sense, therefore, is considered partially opaque
(e.g., foot the bill, fat chance, blue film); and literal idioms, which are either invariable or
allow little variation, considered to be transparent because they can be interpreted based
on their parts (e.g., of course, in any case, for certain, on foot, on the contrary). Cacciari
and Glucksberg (1991) proposed a functional approach mainly related to the degree of
compositionality and the semantic transparency of idioms. Idioms can be non-
compositional, partially compositional, and fully compositional regarding the dimension
of compositionality.
“In non-compositional idioms, no relations between the idiom’s constituents and the
idiom’s meaning can be discerned, as in the idiom cheesecake to refer to pinup art [...]. In
partially compositional idioms, some relationships between an idiom’s constituents and its
idiomatic meaning can be discerned and exploited. Although one could not infer the
meaning to die from the literal meaning of kick the bucket, the idiom’s literal meaning does
constrain its use and comprehension. [...] In fully compositional idioms, the constituents
map directly onto their idiomatic referents, as in the idiom pop the question” (Glucksberg,
2001, p.73).

It is likely that there is a similarity between these two ways of classifications above
related to idiom functions. Subsequently, it is believed that a certain awareness of the
existence of different types of idioms can be of great help in the process of recognition,
understanding and use of idioms.
Boers et al. (2006) stated that figurative competence plays an important role in
assessing spoken language competence. Furthermore, the author emphasized some
benefits of idiom knowledge to learners. First, they can recall figurative idioms in chunks,
which helps them avoid momentary hesitation in their connected speech, so idioms
facilitate fluency in speaking. Idioms also help learners achieve native-like performance.
It is necessary to understand idioms and their true meaning because idiomatic
expressions are used in both formal and informal communications. Unlike non-native
speakers, native speakers of English use idiomatic expressions daily, naturally and
spontaneously. Non-native speakers of English who are from various backgrounds, in
particular Vietnamese students, are found incapable of using idiomatic expressions when
using English Language to communicate (Thyab, 2016). It might not be a piece of cake for
them to use idioms although it is considered as a vital part of the English language. Thus,
non-native speakers of English should learn idiomatic expressions in order to be able to
sound more natural and native-like. It could be understood that the more a second
language speaker is able to understand and make use of idiomatic expressions, the better
proficiency level he or she gets in that language (Rizq, 2015). To conclude, there is a close
relationship between the capacity of using idioms and the development of English
proficiency. This leads to the needs of learning English idioms for non-native speakers in
order to achieve more effective communication and higher proficiency level.
2.3 Factors Affecting Idiom Learning

Despite the importance of idioms, both teachers and students seem to be reluctant to
teach and learn idioms. Students in Vietnam, as a result, encounter considerable difficulty
in understanding speakers in the inner circle because of a number of idiomatic
expressions. Learning idioms is one of the most difficult tasks in English, as claimed by
many teachers and students in Vietnam (Tran, 2012). Additionally, D’Angelo Bromley
(1984), for example, reported that idioms “add confusion and difficulty to the learning of
language” (p.272). Outside of an educational environment, the risk of students
misunderstanding an idiom, for example, is higher. The students might end up in a
difficult situation and get into trouble when using the idioms in the wrong context.
In order to enhance idiom learning, both teachers and students should have
knowledge about factors affecting students’ idiom acquisition. Cooper (1998) declares
that “idiom acquisition research [...] has uncovered a number of findings that have pedagogical
implication for idiom instruction” (p. 255). The author also claims that there are six variables
important for idiom comprehension and learning. The first variable is the age of learners.
This reconnects to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development – a child moves through
different stages of mental development and he or she has to reach a certain level of
maturity before being able to acquire certain knowledge. Cooper (1998) shows that

“[y]oung children up to the age of about nine generally tend to interpret idioms (and other
figurative expressions) literally” (p. 256). The second variable is teachers’ use of figurative
language in classrooms. As it is stated in Cooper (1998, p.257) that “…by the eighth grade,
11.5 percent of a teacher’s utterances, or about one out of ten, contained idioms”. Should teachers
use idioms frequently, they can encourage learners’ figurative comprehension. Besides,
the frequency of an idiom can determine whether it is easy or not for learners to acquire
them. Another aspect that has to be taken into account is the closeness between the
idiom’s literal and figurative meanings (the metaphoric transparency). The fourth factor
refers to the context in which an idiom occurs, whether there are adequate clues for
learners to interpret the figurative meaning. Additionally, it is suggested that grouping
idioms according to a theme, “according to the main word they contain, such as verbs” or
“according to their underlying metaphorical themes” such as “argument is war, e.g., I’ve never
won an argument with him” can enhance learning (Cooper, 1998, p. 258). The last factor
concerns L1- L2 difference. According to Cooper (ibid.), previous research has shown that
idioms that were identical in the first and the second language, and similar idioms from
the first language were the easiest to comprehend and produce while idioms that were
completely different in both languages were the hardest both to comprehend and
produce.
Due to its complex nature, the process of idiom learning takes time, following the
five steps described by Knowles (2004), starting from familiarization, recognition, and
comprehension to mastery and automaticity. Reaching automaticity, students are able to
communicate confidently in the language they are learning. Knowles (2004) also argues
that automaticity can be attained through the practice of phrases and thought groups and
the exposure to the target language. This implies that language learners should be
exposed to idioms and should have intensive practice to be able to obtain the idiomatic
knowledge.
2.4 Idiomatic Knowledge

As mentioned above, it is necessary for students to have wide knowledge of idioms,
which has recently been deliberated along with communicative competence, which was
inspired by Chomsky (1965) , Hymes (1972), Canale and Swain (1980), and Celce-Murcia
(1995, 2008). Celce-Murcia (2008) revised a model of communicative competence to
include the ability to use idioms as part of formulaic competence, or the selection and use
of fixed chunks or stretches of language in communication (Celce-Murcia, 2008).
As a component of formulaic competence, idiomatic competence is considered as
the ability to communicate appropriately with idioms in the roles of both an addressor
and an addressee (Buckingham, 2006; Burke, 1988). It allows communicators to fully
encode and decode the meaning of a conversation. As a vital part of idiomatic
competence, idiomatic knowledge is the ability to recognize idioms in forms and
understand their meanings as well as use them in particular contexts appropriately.
Similarly, since idioms pertain to a kind of advanced vocabulary, idiom knowledge

involves being able to use an idiom properly and effectively in a foreign language
(Milton, 2009, p.13).
2.5 Measuring Idiom Knowledge

Although the aspects of recognizing or knowing a word can be academically described,
measuring multi- words or chunks like idioms tends to be challenging (Zareva,
Schwanenflugel, & Nikolova, 2005). Some commonly used models for measuring
vocabulary knowledge focus on two dimensions – the size and the quality (Nation, 2001;
Richards, 1976). Also, the three-dimension model by Henriksen (1999) on the quantity,
quality and receptive-productive control could be considered. The size or breadth of
vocabulary, refers to the number of words a learner knows, whereas vocabulary quality,
the depth knowledge, denotes how deeply a learner has knowledge of a word, which the
learner needs to possess minimal knowledge of the meaning of the words (Qian & Schedl,
2004; Qian, 2005). Vocabulary depth knowledge may include different elements, for
instance, spelling, pronunciation, meaning, frequency, register, and syntactic,
morphological traits (Qian, 1998, 1999). Similarly, Milton (2009) suggested effective ways
to determine the breadth and depth of words in terms of the learner ability to
comprehend and use them in particular contexts. These dimensions can be followed to
design a test of idiomatic knowledge since idioms are considered multi-unit words or a
kind of vocabulary. Nation (2001, p.27) also divides lexical knowledge into 3 categories:
knowledge of form, knowledge of meaning, and knowledge of use.
In the current study, an Idiom test is designed to gauge the learner’s quality (the
depth) of idiom knowledge of form, meaning and use, with reference to previous studies
like Tran (2013) and Fotovatnia & Khaki (2012). Fotovatnia and Khaki (2012) employed
fill-in-the-blanks and multiple-choice as techniques to test the participants’ recognition
of idioms’ from and meaning. Likewise, Tran (2013) made use of gap filling and matching
techniques to measure form, meaning and use of idioms. This study relies on three
techniques namely fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and matching (in addition to
rewriting).
In summary, idioms are figurative expressions which are used frequently in daily
life and therefore necessary to be addressed by teachers in order to help students develop
their communicative competence. Learners must become familiar with the meanings and
the use of the idioms. In this study, we want to investigate the English idiom knowledge
of teenager learners of English in an EFL context. The next section discusses how the
study aim was achieved.
3. Research Methodology
The study attempts to answer the following research question: To what extent do EFL
teenage learners know the commonly used English idioms?

3.1 Participants
The participants involved 76 teenage students from the age of 14 to 17, including 33 males
and 43 females, at a private language center in the Mekong Delta. These participants had
experienced at least 7 years of learning English by the time the data was collected. Based
on the results of placement tests before assigned to the same English classes, they were
judged to be at the same pre-intermediate level of English.
3.2 Research Design

The design of this research is a descriptive survey. According to Brown & Rodgers (2002),
people’s characteristics, perceptions, and viewpoints can be explored and described by
descriptive statistics research. Thus, the research questions mainly focus on investigating
the students’ understanding of English idioms. The answers to the research question in
the present study are drawn from a test on idiomatic knowledge.
3.3 Idiom Test

In order to collect adequate data for the study, an idiom knowledge test was used. The
test is designed in alignment with previous research on measuring vocabulary and idiom
knowledge. In detail, this study is focused on measuring the depth of idioms, so the
techniques used in the idiom test adapted from Nation (2001), Milton (2009), McGavian
(2009), Fotovatnia & Khaki (2012) and Tran (2013).
First, the list of 50 frequently used idioms was selected through synthesizing
previous studies. Part 1 – the first set of 20 idioms was chosen from Grant (2007); Liu
(2003); Simpson and Mendis (2003); and adapted from Tran (2013). The second set of 30
idioms was selected from materials for English teaching in Vietnam available online, and
especially TOEIC materials. All of these 50 idioms were then checked again for their
popularity by using advanced Google Search to estimate the number of their occurrences.
All the idioms achieved over two million times of appearance.
The test lasts 60 minutes and includes 3 parts with 50 idiom items (appendix). Part 1 is
completing 20 idioms based on their meanings. The focus is on checking students’
knowledge of idiom forms. The second part consists of 15 multiple choice items of 5
options, aiming to promote the reliability of the test, eliciting a focus on meaning of
idioms. Part 3 involves 15 given idioms and the learners were asked to put them to use
appropriately in the given situations/contexts.
To validate the test, the researcher asked two experts in TESOL for their feedback
on the clarity of instructions and item design. Then the test was revised before being
administered. In order to have the objective data for this study, the researcher asked her
colleagues who were teaching seven teen classes at the same workplace but in different
working shifts (2 classes on WED-FRI, 2 classes on TUE-THU, and 3 classes on SAT-SUN)
to administer the test. These teachers explained the purpose of the test and asked their
learners for voluntary participation to do the test. All the data of 76 participants was
accumulated and run in SPSS software to check these participants’ knowledge of idioms.

Each correct answer was assigned 1 point, and the incorrect one 0. The idiom test data is
highly reliable since Cronbach’s alpha was 0.90 (Cronk, 2019).
4. Findings and Discussion
The results show that these participants had little knowledge and understanding about
the frequently used idioms. Most of the selected idioms were unfamiliar to the students.
They rarely learned and used these idioms in their conversations, although the majority
of the students acknowledged the importance of idioms and learning idioms in their
process of learning EFL.
Table 1: Descriptive statistics of participants’ scores on idiom test

Number of items Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
TOTALWHOLE 50 1 35 12.24 7.83
TOTALPART1 20 0 11 3.85 3.76
TOTALPART2 15 0 15 7.22 3.84
TOTALPART3 15 0 11 1.17 2.21
Table 1 shows the descriptive statistics of the collected data from 76 participants taking
the test, which includes 50 items. Generally, the mean score was quite low, 12.24 correct
answers out of 50, and there was a significant variation in the students’ knowledge of
English idioms (SD = 7.83).
There was a noteworthy variance between the mean results of 3 parts. The mean
score of part 1 (M = 3.85) for the correct answers out of 20 was very low, whereas for part
2 (M = 7.2), the score shows the average tendency. Significantly, these students had an
extremely low score for part 3 (M = 1.17). This means most of the students have a limited
knowledge about the forms (part 1) and the use (part 3) of idioms; however, they seemed
to be more knowledgeable in the meanings (part 2) of idioms. The maximum scores
showed that a few of the students had quite high scores of correct answers in the forms
(11/20), the meanings (15/15), and also the use (11/15) of idioms.
Moreover, the results from analyzing the frequencies on SPSS added details about
the percentages of participants’ knowledge of idioms. Overall, as can be seen from figure
1 below, there was a disparity in participants’ comprehension of idioms when most of
the participants (92.2 %) were under average, only 7.8% achieved an average and higher
score. Also, the information from figure 2 showed that the majority of teenage learners
obtained absolutely high percentages of below-medium-scores on idioms’ structure (89.5
%), meaning (65.9 %) and use (97.4 %). The remarkable limit in their ability to use of
idioms was demonstrated by only 2.6 %.

100 92.2
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10 3.9 3.9
0
Below average Average Above average
Figure 1: The students' performance on the idiom test (%)
120
97.4
100
89.5
80
65.90
60
40 34.10
20 10.5
2.6
0
FORM MEANING USE
Below average Average and above average
Figure 2: The students' performance on form, meaning and use of idioms (%)
One sample T-test was run to check whether there was a difference between the
participants’ level of knowledge of idioms (M= 12.24) and the average test score of 25 in
light of the test design. The result shows that a significant difference between the
participants’ level of idiom knowledge and the standard test value was observed (t= -
14.214, p= .00). This indicates that the participants’ level of idiomatic knowledge was far
below average.
Similarly, an independent sample test was employed to test if there was a
difference between the two groups, 33 male (M= 12.45) and 43 female (M=12.07) students’
performance on idiom test. The result shows no significant difference of these two
groups’ level of idiomatic retention (p= .838).
Finally, three paired- samples Test was used to analyze if there was a difference
between the level of students’ performance on part 1 (M=3.86) and part 2 (M= 7.22) as

pair 1, part 1 (M= 3.85) and part 3 (M=1.17) as pair 2, part 2 (M= 7.22) and part 3 (M=1.17)
as pair 3 of idiom test. The result states that a significant difference of students’ level of
idiomatic knowledge on those three parts was shown (p= .00 of 3 pairs).
In general, the data analysis show that the EFL Vietnamese teenage learners had a
low performance on the idiom test. This finding unveils the hidden gap in teenage
learners’ knowledge of English idioms in three main aspects: structure, meaning, and use
of idioms. This means they seem to have very limited ability to recognize, understand,
and use common idioms. The finding is in line with previous studies in Vietnam (Tran,
2013) and other studies outside Vietnam (Burke, 1988; Buckingham, 2006), which found
that students were not able to communicate appropriately with idioms as addressors and
addressees. According to Knowles (2004), the learning process should be sharpened from
familiarization, recognition, and comprehension to mastery and automaticity.
Accordingly, the learners in the current study are still laboring with familiarization and
recognition. There definitely remains a big distance for them to reach automaticity in
using idioms. Besides, in terms of the measurement mentioned by Richards (1976) and
Nation (2001), regarding the depth of idioms, the participants’ idiomatic knowledge is
significantly low. Similarly, with reference to the model by Henriksen (1999), referring to
the quality, the students’ limited idiomatic knowledge is considerably observed.
Therefore, the learners’ needs for being taught idioms are stressed.
5. Implications and Suggestions
The finding of this study implies that there is a need to improve the idiom knowledge for
Vietnamese EFL learners. In this respect, previous studies placed a great deal of focus on
methods of teaching idioms both implicitly and explicitly (Buckingham, 2006; Cooper,
1999; Lennon, 1998; Tran, 2012; Vasiljevic, 2011; Wray, 2000; Zyzik, 2009). These studies
have devoted effort to examining effective measures on teaching idioms for language
learners in both ESL and EFL contexts. Nevertheless, it could be seen from these studies
that explicit instruction was employed mainly and effectively in most cases (Buckingham,
2006; Cooper, 1999; Tran, 2012; Vasiljevic, 2011; Wray, 2000; Zyzik, 2009). For example,
Zyzik (2009) focused on techniques, such as using contextual clues, using pictures to
illustrate meanings, matching idioms to their meanings, filling in blanks with the
appropriate idiom, replacing underlined expressions with an idiom, etc., for teaching
idiomatic comprehension regarding literal and figurative meanings. Likewise, Tran
(2012) suggested four-skill-integrated tasks for teaching idioms. Vasiljevic (2011)
recommended that applying conceptual metaphors and code switching to learners’ first
language in idiom meaning discussions may be effective methods for instruction. This is
additionally supported by theories of Lexical Approach by Michael Lewis in the early
1900s. The findings of Fotovatnia & Khaki’s study (2012) showed evidence for
significantly positive effects of the type of instruction that deploys L1 translation, L2
definitions and synonyms, and pictures, on learning both meaning and form of idioms.
Further experimental studies on how to enhance the EFL teenage learners’ knowledge of

idioms as well as their idiomatic retention are necessary in idioms learning and teaching
practices, especially in Vietnam. On the other hand, the research from Lennon (1998)
showed the success of implicit idiom instruction, employing problem-solving approach
and providing clear samples of exercises which were mostly suitable for advanced
learners. Further research focusing on lower level of proficiency students can consider
the use of implicit instruction and be careful with a change of using these exercises.
6. Limitations and Conclusion
The current study has some limitations. The reliability of the findings would have been
increased if item difficulty and discrimination had been analyzed and items were revised
before the data collection. Another limitation concerns the lack of other measures such as
interviews in helping the researcher to triangulate the findings from the test performance.
Despite these limitations, this study raises an alert about the low idiomatic knowledge of
Vietnamese EFL teenage learners. Future studies should attempt to explore learners’
ability to use idioms in authentic productive language situations. Also, longitudinal
studies should be conducted to comprehensively assess the idiomatic competence of EFL
language learners as well as experimental research to test the effects of idiom instruction.
The study revealed the low idiomatic knowledge of Vietnamese EFL teenage learners.
Their poor idiomatic understanding was consequently derived from a lack of exposure
to idiomatic language in their learning programs, inadequate guidance in learning and
using idioms from teachers, and an insufficient habit of learning idioms (Tran, 2012; Tran,
2013).
To enhance the situation of teenage learners’ low acquaintance of idioms, both
teachers and students should be aware of their significant role in the language learning
and teaching process. Students should be more frequently exposed to idioms from inner-
and expanding circle contexts as well (Canagarajah, 2006) as English is no longer the
possession of inner-circle (Kachru, 1992). This study has drawn attention to the students’
limited of idiom knowledge, the important role idiom competence, and the needs for
idiom instruction by pedagogical methods. Consequently, the learners hope to be more
confident in communicating with figurative idioms in everyday conversations, and at
higher level of English proficiency.
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Appendix: Idiom Test

(Duration: 60 minutes)
Please write all your answers onto the answer sheet!
I. Write ONE or TWO words to complete the idioms based on their meaning in the next
column.
Example: Hit the __________. Meaning: to go to bed in order to sleep.

Answer: Hit the ___sack__.
No. Idioms Meaning

1. Have __________ in The right to express your opinion and influence decisions
2. All of __________ Quickly, unexpectedly
3. Be over __________ Too difficult or complicated for me to understand
4. __________ of thumb A practical method of doing or measuring something, usually based on past
experience, not based on science or exact measurement
5. Push the __________ Go beyond the limits of what is allowed or thought to be possible
6. A piece __________ A thing that is very easy to do
7. Not my cup __________ Not what I like or am interested in
8. __________ to the fire Make a bad situation worse
9. __________ your mind To decide what to choose
10. Off __________ of my Recall / speak something without preparation
head
11. Down __________ All the way, throughout
12. Get to the __________ of Figure everything out
things
13. Have __________ Change your opinion after thinking about something again
14. Out of __________ In a way that was not expected, unexpectedly
15. I can take it or I do not hate something, but don’t particularly like it either
__________
16. Bits and __________ Small objects or idioms of various kinds
17. Thinking on __________ To be able to think and react to things very quickly and effectively without any
preparation
18. Draw the __________ Distinguish between two closely related ideas
19. Take __________ for it Believe me, trust me, I am telling you the truth
20. It goes __________ Used to say that something proves something
II. Choose a correct meaning for each of the following idioms.
21. if all else fails

A. if it is a difficult problem or person
B. if someone makes the others uncomfortable
C. if it is a difficult position
D. if all other plans do not work
E. if someone else forgets you

22. in your shoes

A. in your position
B. in one place
C. in value
D. in your views
E. in a hard situation
23. on top of the world

A. very brave to confront a problem or challenge
B. very direct to express ideas without planning
C. extremely happy
D. very difficult to please someone or to do something
E. greatly excited to travel somewhere
24. make it big

A. be very direct or frank
B. be sure about a problem that is no longer a concern
C. be in a crowded place
D. be famous or successful
E. be in a spacious place
25. be snowed under

A. be very happy
B. be very busy at the moment
C. be very late
D. be very skillful to handle the work
E. be very cold
26. speak your mind

A. state your opinion very clearly and openly
B. install and use something easily
C. be close to the deadline
D. improve, update, or change for the better
E. tell someone to do something
27. cross your mind

A. do more than one thing at the same time
B. cause troubles
C. stop thinking of ideas or products
D. think about something for a short time
E. share your opinion

28. in the long run

A. for saving money or time
B. for long hours
C. for a long time from now
D. for only the available time
E. early to go for a run
29. at the end of the day

A. finally
B. lately
C. simply
D. firstly
E. early
30. black and white

A. impressive
B. written, not just spoken
C. better or faster
D. difficult, not able to achieve
E. meaningful
31. wouldn't hurt a fly

A. be easy to use
B. be totally harmless
C. be achievable
D. be communicative and interactive
E. be easy to obtain
32. your bread and butter

A. a very high goal that is hard to obtain
B. a big mistake that you make
C. an activity or job you do to earn money
D. an effort that you make and never give up
E. a kind of food that you really like
33. go for the gold

A. try for a difficult goal
B. have no radical views
C. prepare for what’s coming; ahead of schedule
D. make sense; result in something
E. drive fast

34. down to earth

A. very practical
B. very early
C. very responsible
D. very associated
E. very deep
35. over the moon

A. very happy indeed
B. greatly realistic
C. very enthusiastic
D. really not acceptable
E. really high and tall
III. Use the following idioms in their correct situations

A. lay it on the line I. bend over backwards
B. down to the wire J. a trade-off
C. be between a rock and a hard place K. water under the bridge
D. a win-win situation L. on one’s plate
E. plug and play M. shoot from the hip
F. put all one’s eggs in one basket N. a pain in a neck
G. take the bull by the horns O. have the bandwidth
H. be in someone’s face P. miss the boat
Example: He could have bought that stock last week at half the current price. He really
…………P- missed the boat……....
36. This job has had problems from the beginning. It’s ……………………....
37. That man ……………………....I didn’t like him. He stood very close and was very
impolite.
38. He ……………………....If he does what his mother wants, his wife will be angry. If he
does what his wife wants, his mother will be angry.
39. Don’t ……………………....It’s less risky to have more than one plan.
40. If you cut back your hours to have more free time for your family, you’ll earn less. It’s
……………………....
41. I decided to ……………………....and talk to the president about his mistreatment

towards workers.

42. I usually ……………………...., but honestly make other people angry sometimes.
43. I ……………………....to make him happy, but he was never satisfied with what I did
for him.
44. We’re tired of all the polite words. Just ……………………....for us.
45. Don’t worry about that mistake anymore. It’s ……………………....
46. That was a good business. We both got what we wanted most. It was
……………………....
47. We have enough …………………….... right now. We shouldn’t care about that. That
is their responsibility.
48. Unexpectedly, the company is growing too fast. I’m wondering if they
……………………....to manage the changes.
49. I’ll be able to install this new program and run it in five minutes. It’s
……………………....
50. We’re …………………….... on this project so we have to work overtime for sure.

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European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching

ISSN: 2537 - 1754

doi: 10.46827/ejfl.v5i1.3178 Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020

AN INVESTIGATION OF VIETNAMESE EFL TEENAGE

Vo Thi Diem My1i,

Can Tho Branch,

Can Tho University,

Keywords: English idioms, knowledge, EFL, teenage learners, idiom instruction

Idioms constitute an important part in understanding the implicit meanings of writers or

i Correspondence: email maria106784@gmail.com

Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.

2.1 The Complexity of Idioms

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 49

A. It’s raining cats and dogs. Do you miss me, honey?

2.2 Types and Use of Idioms

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 50

2.3 Factors Affecting Idiom Learning

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 51

2.4 Idiomatic Knowledge

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 52

2.5 Measuring Idiom Knowledge

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 53

3.2 Research Design

3.3 Idiom Test

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 54

4. Findings and Discussion

Table 1: Descriptive statistics of participants’ scores on idiom test

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 55

Figure 1: The students' performance on the idiom test (%)

Below average Average and above average

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 56

5. Implications and Suggestions

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 57

6. Limitations and Conclusion

Barkema, H. (1996). Idiomaticity and terminology: a multi-dimensional descriptive

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 58

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 59

Grant, L. E. (2007). In a manner of speaking: Assessing frequent spoken figurative idioms

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 60

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 61

Appendix: Idiom Test

Please write all your answers onto the answer sheet!

Example: Hit the __________. Meaning: to go to bed in order to sleep.

No. Idioms Meaning

II. Choose a correct meaning for each of the following idioms.

21. if all else fails

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 62

22. in your shoes

23. on top of the world

24. make it big

25. be snowed under

26. speak your mind

27. cross your mind

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 63

28. in the long run

29. at the end of the day

30. black and white

31. wouldn't hurt a fly

32. your bread and butter

33. go for the gold

European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 5 │ Issue 1 │ 2020 64

34. down to earth

35. over the moon